Energy Beast

Within the dazzling Tianlan Star, the surroundings were bathed in vibrant, rainbow-like hues, creating a scene that felt as if one had stepped into a fairytale world. As the spacecraft flew through the expansive space, Ye Fan took in the view of the various buildings around him, each designed with its own unique style, their exquisite craftsmanship almost defying description—truly worthy of being compared to the creations of the divine.

Ye Fan observed the stunning scenery of Tianlan Star with mild interest, then took a deep breath, sensing the rich Source Energy in the air. A hint of joy appeared in his eyes and at the corners of his mouth. The concentration of Source Energy in the atmosphere here was more than double that of the outside world. Even ordinary people living in this environment could expect their lifespans to increase by four or five years.

After about half an hour of flight, the spacecraft landed in front of a building. It was a circular structure, with three interconnected buildings—one large and two smaller ones—resembling three giant pots turned upside down on the ground. Surrounding the buildings were lush green lawns, blooming flowers, and towering trees, all exuding a strong sense of life.

As soon as the spacecraft touched down, Ye Fan noticed a stern-looking butler approaching with two attendants. The butler, his expression emotionless, fixed his gaze on Ye Fan as he disembarked from the spacecraft and said in a deep voice, "Ye Fan?"

"That's me," Ye Fan responded with a nod.

The butler said nothing further and turned to walk away. Ye Fan hesitated briefly before following behind the three. One of the attendants, a boy about Ye Fan's age, gave him a friendly smile.

After this strange introduction, Ye Fan was led to his quarters—a room that spanned forty to fifty square meters. The room was luxuriously decorated, equipped with all the necessary amenities, including an advanced smart terminal. Ye Fan was quite satisfied with his new accommodations.

After showing Ye Fan to his room, the butler gave a few brief instructions to the young attendant before hurriedly departing. Throughout the entire process, the butler had spoken only two sentences to Ye Fan.

"Hello! My name's Sean," the boy said.

Sean, who was about the same age as Ye Fan, had short brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a round, cute nose. His distinctive features made it easy to recognize him as a native of Mosel.

Moselites were known for their kindness. They were hardworking, family-oriented, and skilled in brewing. They were also known for their unity, friendliness, and resolute courage.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Ye Fan," Ye Fan replied with a smile, bumping fists with Sean as they both laughed.

After unpacking his belongings, Ye Fan took a tour around the Billy Gene Laboratory, guided by Sean. The three circular buildings were part of a single complex. The tallest one in the center was Professor Billy's laboratory. The two smaller buildings on either side served as the residence for Professor Billy's family and the quarters for the staff, where Ye Fan and Sean were staying.

"The lab has been short on staff recently, so I'll show you around," Sean said, leading Ye Fan to the entrance of the Gene Laboratory. A red wave of light scanned Sean's entire body, and the door to the lab opened.

Sean walked inside with a smile, gesturing for Ye Fan to follow. Behind the door was a long corridor, stretching over a hundred meters, reminiscent of a time tunnel. On either side of the corridor, rooms filled with various equipment could be seen. Staff members in white lab coats moved efficiently about their tasks.

"This is a standard gene production line. It produces hundreds of standard genes each day and is one of the lab's main sources of income," Sean explained with a smile as he pointed to the surrounding rooms.

Operating a gene laboratory was incredibly expensive, with daily costs running into astronomical figures. Only families with deep resources could afford to maintain such a facility.

Professor Billy's ability to run such a lab was undoubtedly supported by Tianlan Academy, but this standard gene production line was likely a crucial part of the lab's financial backbone.

The two walked down the corridor until they reached the end, where a massive hall came into view. The hall resembled a giant cauldron, towering over fifty meters high with a diameter of more than a hundred meters. Inside this colossal space, dozens of staff members were bustling around an older man at the center of the hall.

"That's Professor Billy," Sean whispered to Ye Fan, leaning in close. "He's usually a nice guy, but lately, he's been prone to bursts of temper. If you run into him, be careful!"

The man at the center was indeed imposing, despite his age. His hair was thick and wild, with a beard and hair standing on end, making him look like a lion. Even from dozens of meters away, Ye Fan could feel the pressure emanating from him.

Under this pressure, Ye Fan felt his own blood start to stir restlessly. Realizing the change within himself, Ye Fan's pupils contracted slightly, and he couldn't help but silently marvel, "A peak gene warrior—his blood power is truly formidable!"

Just as the moon's gravity can cause tides on a planet, someone with powerful blood energy can induce a similar agitation in the blood of those with weaker blood energy. If they wished, they could even cause a weaker person's blood to boil, leading to instant death.

"Let's move on. I'll show you around some other areas," Sean said, motioning for Ye Fan to follow him. They carefully skirted the edge of the hall, heading in a different direction. The architecture of the Billy Gene Laboratory was unique, resembling an upside-down cauldron, with the rooms arranged in a circular pattern.

This central hall was the core of the gene lab, with circular corridors radiating outwards like spokes. Along each corridor, dozens of rooms lined both sides.

Sean didn't take Ye Fan through each room, as such a tour would be tedious. Instead, they circled halfway around the hall before stopping at a large silver door.

"This leads to the underground area where we keep the source beasts. I'll take you down for a look!" Sean said with a smile, his blue eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Source beasts!"

Ye Fan's eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement. Source beasts weren't ordinary wild animals; they were special creatures. Much like human gene warriors, source beasts could absorb the Source Energy in the air to catalyze their genetic evolution.

Powerful source beasts not only possessed the strength to rival human gene warriors but also had intelligence comparable to that of humans. This distinguished them from mere savage beasts, making them more akin to intelligent life forms like humans.

The purpose of keeping source beasts in a gene lab was straightforward: to extract their genes. Through a complex process of analysis, separation, and extraction, scientists aimed to obtain genes that could be transplanted into humans.

Once these genes were successfully integrated into a human's genetic system, they could trigger rapid evolution and even grant humans some of the source beast's special abilities.

For example, if a gene related to fire control were extracted from a fire-type source beast, a human could gain the ability to manipulate fire as the source beast does.

The standard for being classified as a gene warrior is simple—having at least one natural gene from an external source. The term "external gene" refers to naturally occurring genes, not the synthetic ones produced in gene labs.

However, not everyone can accept an external gene. Generally, a person must have undergone at least one blood transformation to safely integrate an external gene. Otherwise, the foreign gene could overwhelm the host's weaker genetic system, leading to a horrifying transformation into a monstrous creature.

Ding ding...

The silver door slowly opened, and Ye Fan followed Sean into the elevator. The elevator descended smoothly, and within seconds, it came to a halt and the doors slid open. A surge of dense Source Energy rushed in, causing Ye Fan to shudder as a wave of comfort washed over him, making him feel as though he were soaking in a hot spring.

Even the burning pain in his lungs eased noticeably. Sensing the change in his body, Ye Fan's eyes lit up. He took a few deep breaths and exclaimed, "This is a Source Energy training room!"

Sean smiled, clearly pleased with Ye Fan's astonished reaction. "That's right, this is indeed a massive Source Energy training room," he said. After all, building such a large training room solely to house source beasts was a level of extravagance rarely seen, even on Tianlan Star.

"Let's go," Sean said, patting Ye Fan on the shoulder before stepping out of the elevator. The elevator opened into a vast underground chamber. If the core hall of Billy's lab had been impressive, this space would leave anyone utterly speechless.

The underground chamber was unimaginably large, easily a hundred times the size of the core hall above. Within this enormous space, countless transparent energy screens formed cages, each containing a different source beast.

Ye Fan's gaze passed through the energy barriers, landing on the various source beasts, each bringing back memories of names and forms he once knew well.

There was a two-meter-long Flash Mink, shrouded in purple energy; a Blood Toad, the size of a basin, its body blood-red and eyes like gems; and a Golden-Eyed Flame Lion, its body wreathed in fire, shooting golden rays from its eyes...

Hundreds of source beasts were gathered in this space, and the sheer magnitude of it was overwhelming—something only those present could truly comprehend. The source beasts varied in strength, but even the weakest among them would fetch a price of tens of millions of star credits on the open market.

Suddenly, a hissing roar echoed through the chamber, and Ye Fan felt his blood begin to boil inside him. In an instant, his vision swam with gold stars, and he tasted blood in his throat before coughing up a mouthful of it.

"Not good..." Ye Fan thought, just as he collapsed to the ground. As he lost consciousness, his gaze was fixed on a massive energy screen at the far end of the chamber. Within it, a monstrous serpent, coiled in a raging inferno, moved like a divine dragon through the flames, its presence terrifying beyond belief.